From Arrogance to Awakening: A Voice from the Flames

This is a record of an interview with Chu Fu-yuan, who sought deliverance at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre in Australia. She now resides in the Western Dharma-Nature Land. This account reflects upon her life and her passing in the massive fire at Wang Fuk Court in Hong Kong. Recorded by the chief writer, Fa Ning, on December 9, 2025.

Chu Fu-yuan speaks:

"Namo Amituofo. I am Chu Fu-yuan, a twenty-eight-year-old woman. For most of my life, I was deeply dismissive of religion. I never believed in the Buddha, and I certainly had no interest in the Buddha’s teachings. I used to think that religion was something only for the elderly or for those who were lonely and had nothing better to do. But now? My perspective has completely shifted. I am so incredibly grateful to the Buddha! I am filled with such profound gratitude, and at the same time, I feel a deep, aching regret for my past immaturity and arrogance. If the Buddha had not saved me, where else could I have gone? I was in such agony—the pain was unbearable! But having experienced this, I do not just believe in the Buddha; I want to follow the Buddha’s path forever.

A Warning to the Youth

I hope that the young people who read my story will change their views on the Buddha, especially on Namo Amituofo. If you have any misguided thoughts, please, change them. Believe in the Buddha. Do not be like I was, thinking that you know everything, that you are the master of your own fate. In truth, there is so much in this world that we do not understand. I, too, was once arrogant, believing that I had no problems at all, until the very last, most vulnerable moment of my life. Only then did I feel the true weight of helplessness and despair. It was a feeling of utter powerlessness.

That is why I feel my story is so important. There are so many young people like me who do not yet know how to cherish life, who are still doing things that break their parents' hearts. Must you really wait until you are in my position to wake up? My life ended at its prime, when I still had so many dreams to fulfil. I had to say goodbye to this world just like that. You still have so much life ahead of you—please, do not waste it on the wrong people or the wrong things!

A Life of Simple Pleasures

I was a girl who loved flower arranging. My little apartment in Wang Fuk Court was filled with flowers; it looked like a small garden. I lived there with my boyfriend, though he travelled often for work, so we only saw each other about once a week. I always made sure to dress beautifully, partly because of my work requirements. My working hours were never fixed, and my life was quite ordinary. I did not have any grand ambitions; I was content with a simple, quiet life. I once had a heart full of aspirations, but after working in society for a few years, I quickly lost that drive. Still, my heart was kind. I genuinely enjoyed helping others, and I loved seeing people happy. My parents were quite permissive with my education, so they rarely interfered with my choices.

The Fire at Wang Fuk Court

When the massive fire at Wang Fuk Court broke out, I first learned about it through social media on my phone. The news said that the buildings a few blocks away were burning! I never imagined that a fire could spread from one building to another; I thought they were completely separate. Even so, I decided to go out to see what was happening. I thought that if I went downstairs, I might be able to help if the community needed it.

As I stepped out of my front door, my heart sank. Could it be that the fire had reached our building too? Outside, people were rushing to escape. I thought I had plenty of time, so I called my boyfriend to see if he knew what was happening. He did not answer, so I walked out to investigate. It seemed like smoke was already billowing from the floors above us. We lived on the twenty-first floor, which is quite high, so at that point, there was definitely still enough time to escape the disaster. But I was stubborn. I wanted to check on an elderly distant relative, an aunt who lived alone on the eighteenth floor. This Auntie Wang was getting on in years and had difficulty walking, so I went to her, thinking I could help her get out.

The Final Moments

The smoke on the eighteenth floor was noticeably thicker. I quickly went into her apartment, grabbed a wet towel for her, took one for myself, and pulled her out to run. At that moment, I did not care about anything else; I just thought we had to take it one step at a time. When we reached the outside, I rushed to the stairwell, as it was the only way to escape. The aunt was so worried about dragging me down that she kept telling me to go ahead and not wait for her. But I could not do that. I told her to follow me closely. By then, the stairwell railing was already scorching hot, so she had to hold onto the corner of my clothes as we moved forward slowly.

We moved step by step. At first, it was manageable, but the wet towels seemed to be drying out, and our breathing became very laboured. By the time we reached about the tenth floor, the fire had begun to spread to the walls of the stairwell. We only had a tiny path left to avoid the flames, so we moved faster. Who would have known that when we reached the landing between two floors, we would find ourselves completely surrounded by fire? We had walked into a dead end, and there was no turning back. The aunt was terrified, crying out, 'Is anyone there? Is anyone there? Can someone save us?' I held her tightly, pushing her toward the side where the fire was less intense, and told her to close her eyes and not look. Watching the flames consume us was too painful—it was agony. We both began to burn. My back was scorched, and I felt as though I were being torn apart. I kept holding the aunt, but she stopped calling out; she seemed to have fainted. Before she died, she kept calling her son's name. Shortly after, we passed away in that embrace, the fire consuming us from our backs to our heads, and then, we simply stopped breathing.

A Second Chance in the Dharma-Nature Land

The whole process happened so quickly because the fire spread with such terrifying speed—nothing like what I had imagined. When we woke up after dying, we could no longer see our physical bodies; it was as if we were just ashes. We were floating nearby, watching the scene, and it was truly too tragic to behold. Everyone left behind seemed to have turned black; you could not even recognise who was who. We looked at each other, struggling to accept the situation, just waiting there in silence. My spirit felt so heavy, so sad. Everything was just gone. My life, at only twenty-eight, had ended just like that. I do not know how long we stayed there, but eventually, we saw a light. We saw many people walking toward that light, so we followed them.

In the next moment, we were completely transformed. We became dignified and clean, looking nothing like we did before we died. I learned that this place is part of the Earth, located at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre in Australia, and that we spirits are staying in the Western Dharma-Nature Land of this temple. The Western Dharma-Nature Land is a very special place. You might not believe it, but it is a world of the Buddha, established by Namo Amituofo and Practitioner Su of the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre. I had heard of the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss before, and it turns out this place is connected to it. If we practise well and chant Buddha's name here, we can also go to the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss.

At first, I did not believe in the Buddha; I felt that all of this was too far removed from my life. I never expected that the Buddha would not give up on me and would even allow me to come here and stay. After some time, I realised how wrong I had been. I cried, feeling both heartbroken and happy. My heart was so stirred. At first, I did not even dare to look up at the Buddha because I was too ashamed; I felt I had no face to see the Buddha. But the Buddha is so compassionate. Listening to Practitioner Su give Dharma talks, I learned many truths. I realised that I had been ignorant, only believing in my own voice, not knowing that 'there is always someone better; there is always a higher authority.' I repented, and I chant Buddha's name. I chant to tell the Buddha that I am willing to follow Him now.

If my family and friends who are still in the world can see this interview, please, come here at least once. Otherwise, when life comes to an end, you will truly have nothing, because not everyone is as lucky as I am to be able to come here after being burned to death. I heard Practitioner Su say that he goes wherever there is a disaster to save people. Hearing that moved me deeply. I want to follow the Buddha; I want to become a person like that, someone who can save others. That is what I truly love to do.

I am so grateful for everything, especially for Namo Amituofo and Practitioner Su, and for everyone who is working together to save the world. I hope that I, too, can work hard and become a part of this salvation team.

Namo Amituofo.

Chu Fu-yuan"